ICE agents raided the Santa Palm Car Wash on Santa Monica Blvd at Palm Ave today. It was a quick-hit operation. Word spread up the street as workers scrambled. Eyewitnesses stood in shock as federal ICE agents descended on the local car wash and targeted its employees with few questions asked.
The panic was still present after ICE left the scene, and a handful of workers lingered. The car wash closed immediately after the raid. The owner of the car wash was inside reviewing the video footage. Two or three of his staff were taken by the agents. The man was obviously distressed. “I’m trying to find my employees,” he said.
There appeared to be no cooperation with city officials. It is not clear whether or not members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had any advance warning of the sting. The raid targeted a West Hollywood business and its staff on the July 4th holiday.
Fear crept up the street — business to business, employee to employee. What just happened in WeHo? We were not a sanctuary city anymore. Nobody was safe.
One man came inside BlockParty and taunted the Brazilian staff member that ICE was coming to get him. He told me the story“They can just take me anyway.” There is no due process. On July 4th, a day to celebrate our country, the question is — how is this America?
I’m very sure the owner of Santa Palm Car Wash paid all his employees adhering to the local and state laws. I’m very sure that all those employees are having the appropriate taxes deducted from their paychecks. There is no evidence to suggest any of these employees are illegal immigrants.
How did we get here? There is no leadership in the Democratic Party. When the Dems were in charge, infighting and identity politics split many down the middle. There was not a vigorous primary to find the best candidate to oppose Trump. The Donkeys towed the line just like the Elephants. People across the country were more comfortable with the king they knew than the queen they didn’t. Trump won in a landslide and confused a weak opponent with a mandate on his policies. The political system in this country is broken. There has to be a better way.
Every day it gets tougher and tougher to be a business owner. Every day it feels like there is no more invisible bubble where we are safe from the outside forces. Tomorrow is another day, and we need more than political rhetoric.
We need to mobilize around cuts to SNAP and Medicare to protect our residents who fall into the gaps. We need a game plan on how we can unleash the private sector to fill the gaps in the One Big Bullshit Bill to protect our seniors and most vulnerable disabled residents. We need to stop screaming and start thinking of the work that needs to be done.
As a city, we should study the effects of the new national policies on West Hollywood residents and businesses. It’s not just the workers at the car wash. There are other residents and businesses that are at risk. Let’s get ahead of the bad policies with plans to meet each issue head-on.
Most of us are outraged at these events in our small city. Let’s focus on solving the effects of these policies on West Hollywood. I’ve seen a lot of bluster and finger pointing by our elected leaders on social media but have yet to see any tangible proposals to address the effects on West Hollywood’s residents and businesses. Let’s focus on WeHo, not Washington.
“no evidence to suggest they were illegal immigrants”. Regardless of what you think, should have done more research: “On July 4th, Border Patrol conducted enforcement operations in West Hollywood, resulting in the arrest of two criminal illegal aliens: Juan Carlos Delgado-Abelino, an illegal alien from Mexico, has illegally entered the country twice. Silvestre JimenezI-Gomez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was previously convicted of possession of a controlled substance,” a senior Department of Homeland Security official said in an email to City News Service. Source: https://mynewsla.com/crime/2025/07/06/immigration-officials-say-they-detained-two-mexican-nationals-on-july-4-2/ Everyone needs to get the facts straight or at least include both statements before inflaming… Read more »
The plan should be to aid ICE. Deport illegals. They’re a net drain. They broke the law to be here.
I heard there’s an APP that warns of ICE in the neighborhood. Hope that’s true.
And those running the APP will be arrested. It already happening. Just more lawlessness be encouraged by the misguided.
It’s already been taken down because patriots flooded it with fake reports. LFGOOOOOO
Patriots? 😂😂😂😂😂
I’d like to know when ICE is going to conduct one of their gestapo-like raids on one of Cheato’s properties. I’m 100% sure he’s got plenty of immigrant labor simply trying make a buck doing low-wage jobs for him. It’s crystal-clear that criminal records or legality are no longer factors.
Great response.
However, Trump did not win in a landslide,even though he did better in almost all demos.
Not even close, not even a mandate. Not even half the country.
1.5 points and only a few over two million votes.
Hardly a mandate.
And yet, 80% of people surveyed support deportations but you can die on this hill.
OpEd author: you voted for this
I dont think so.
Fair, that maybe you didn’t do so directly. But you see/saw that things were untenable under the previous lot (at least thats how i read your other OpEd)s. The majority of the country agreed with this and here we are.
Thank you, Larry. You’re 100% correct, if we don’t mobilize no one will. Last week’s big City Council legislation was passing partnership protections for throuples residing in West Hollywood; we won’t be getting any help from those dim wits on the diasis. We must create a grass roots organization. I’ll be honest, how does that work? Where do we start? We have momentum today, but it will lessen as folks get further away from yesterday’s ICE raid and go back to work.
Where do we start?
The bigger question is, why is this business making its employees work on a Federal national holiday?
Many businesses are open on July 4th, and all those business need employees who may want to work or receive overtime.
I was actually highlighting the irony that the business wanted to be open on a national day celebrating our country’s independence and that his employees get arrested and they’re not independent and free 
They break into our country…..create an underground economy which negatively impacts American workers…..and are now surprised that they are being held accountable and deported?
The notion that a Car Wash can’t operate, and generate a reasonable profit, without hiring people in the country illegally ……is a farce.
The D Party seems willing to die on this hill. Good luck with that.
So you’re signing up to work at the car wash? How about Burger King? How about make beds at Motel 6 or Super 8 in Hollywood.
Unfortunately, you are clueless, dude.
Are you suggesting that these businesses are breaking the law? If you are aware of illegal activity…..you should do your civic responsibility and report it.
Someone must have made the federal government aware that the car wash was breaking the law. Everyone has to do their part in a functioning society.
Not necessarily so. People say sh** all the time.
“Ham” will say that until it affects him personally and then watch his tune change (long car wash lines, restaurant closures, etc). Notice, Donald Trump stopped talking about hotel workers recently and how those businesses workers including farms may need a pathway. If they are hard criminals, yes deport but those only working with no criminal history other than coming across the border to work, been her many years, and abiding by all other laws, they need a pathway. FULL STOP. If they cared about law and order, everyone of the January 6 protesters would NOT have been pardoned. There… Read more »
Truth. The Democratic Party is dying because of their failed policies.
You post this BS to hear yourself talk. Get a life.